Love Conquers All
by lokiash
Summary: Buffy is back from the dead. What happens when Angel finds out and returns to Sunnydale? Will the Powers That Be allow them to be happy together?
1. Chapter 1 : She Rises

**-I do not own any of the characters!**

**Please Review!**

"Angel." I glanced back as Cordelia ran out the door into the courtyard of the Hyperion Hotel. I patted Freds knee and stood to face her. "It's Willow! Buffys alive!" If I had a heartbeat it would have skipped a beat. I ran to her and grabbed the phone from her.

"This isn't funny, Willow." I tried to speak to her without running full tilt to Sunnydale.

"I've never been one to make jokes." I could almost hear the smile through the phone. I sighed and walked into the hotel and straight to my office. I closed the door behind and plopped down on the chair. "I did a spell. And, it worked. She was in hell, Angel." I rubbed my temple.

I could never believe that she would be in hell, but with how she died by sacrificing herself to close a hell dimension, there is a huge chance that she was pulled into that dimension to suffer for eternity.

"How is she?" Was all I could muster out.

"She's great." I heard the uncertain in her voice. "I mean, I think she's great. She's still in a little bit of confusion."

"I understand that." I could remember when I was brought back from Hell. I was a savage animal, worse than my demon side. Buffy had found me and helped me come back down to earth. "Thank you for calling me, Willow."

"You should come see her." I shook my head like she could see me. "You might not think it's a good idea, but, she could need all of us. Giles is coming back in the next few days."

"Where is he coming from?"

"He went back to England when she.. He left the day I did the spell." I could hear Xander trying to speak to her in the background. "Okay. Hold on, can't you see I'm on the phone." There was a pause. "Sorry, Angel."

"It's fine. I need to go. You'll hear from me soon." I hung up the phone before she could answer.

I opened my side drawer and shuffled some papers around before I could feel the frame. I admired the picture of Buffy in the frame she had made me years ago. A tear fell right on her face and I wiped it away as a knock came at the door. I shoved the picture back into drawer.

"Yes." Cordelias head peaked around the door with a halfhearted smile. "Sit." She slowly came in and quietly closed the door behind her.

"How is she back?" She asked. She sat in the chair opposite me. I shrugged my shoulders and leaned forward on my desk.

"A spell. Willow brought her back." I ran my fingers through my hair.

"Well, that's great! Right?"

"Of course." I replied. I looked up at her, tears falling down my cheeks.

"Please tell me those are happy tears."

That's what Buffy called tears when she cried around me. Happy tears. Until now, I never understood what she could mean by that. How could someone cry from being happy. I wiped the tears off my face and shook off the emotions. I stood and walked around to Cordelia who stood and hugged me. I pulled her away.

"I'm okay. But, Willow says I need to see her." she nodded her head. "I can't."

"Why not?"

"I'm not sure, Cordy. When she died I spent days sitting at her gravesite hoping I would wake up and there would be a different name on that tombstone. I'm still not over her death how can I accept her being alive after all this time?" I paced the office.

"You are thinking too much into this. Just be happy because she's alive. Go see her. Call her. Something, Angel." She placed her hands on my arms to stop me, looking me straight in the eyes. Her serious face. I nodded my head and stopped moving.

"I can't leave now. There's things to do."

"We got this. Go! I'm giving you permission." she smiled, shooing me out the door.

"I'm the boss." We stepped out into the lobby. Gunn, Fred and Wesley watching us.

"Yes, but even bosses need a push in the right direction." Cordelia said.

"Is the big guy leaving?" Gunn spat off. I looked in his direction to see he was smiling.

"You aren't leaving are you?" Freds small voice spoke up. She walked around Wesley to stand between us all. Sadness in her eyes. "You have to, I know." She looked down at her hands. "It's okay." She turned to head towards the stairs.

"Fred." I said. She stopped and turned. "I will be back before you know it." She gave me a forced smile and headed up to her room. I turned to Cordelia. "I won't be gone long. If a day." She smiled and pointed to the stairway.

**SD**

I sat on the edge of my bed, looking at myself in the reflection of the closet mirror. I couldn't think much about where I was just a few days ago. I refused to think of it. Everyone expects me to look chipper and normal. I haven't even figured out how to falsly pull that off. I've been keeping to myself, leaving my room to have bathroom time or eat dinner that Willow insist we eat together like a family. I've been slowly getting my appetite back. Every sound and creak that come through the house is magnified. I can hear everyone whispering about me, and oddly pacing through the house as if waiting for me to pop out with a party hat. I shifted uncomfortably and looked up at my doorway to see Xander looking back.

"Hey, Buff." He slowly stepped in and stood a few feet from me. "Are you hungry." I nodded my head and stood. I followed him down the hall and stairs into the dining room where a nice spread of food was laid out. I sat in my normal chair at the end of the table and waited for everyone to join. Xander sat to my right and started shoveling food on his plate. The rest finally joined.

"How was your day, Buffy?" Willow asked, in a sweet voice.

"Fine." I replied. I picked at my food listening to small conversation going throughout the table. Dawn talking about her day at school and some girl that's been picking on her. Xander spoke with Anya about their weekend getaway coming up. "Giles." I muttered.

The speaking stopped. "Yea, Buff. He's coming back." Xander responded. I nodded and took my napkin from my lap and placed it on my plate. "Already done? You barely touched anything."

"Not hungry as I thought." I stood and took my plate to the kitchen. I leaned on the counter and glanced out the window. There was a dark shadow that moved quickly behind a tree right by the far gate. I picked up a knife and slowly walked out the back door and stood on the porch, waiting and listening.

"Don't attack." I heard a male voice speak out. Then Spike walked out with his hands in the air. I lowered the knife and sat on the steps. "How are you doing?" He sat down next to me.

"If I had a dollar everytime someone asked me that, I'd... have alot of money." I replied. "I'm fine, Spike."

We sat in silence for a few moments before he spoke again. "I've been patroling for you. Until you are ready to go back in the field, of course." I nodded and muttered "Thank you."

"Of course you are better at it." I smiled for the first time and stood up.

"Go home, Spike."

"Alright, Slayer." He flipped his trenchcoat around him and strolled off into the night. I stood there for a few more minutes breathing in the cool night air. I heard rustling around in the kitchen and decided to walk back in. I needed to start coming out of my shell. I don't want Willow to regret me being here, I've heard the story of the night she brought me back she went through a lot. She had slept for days along with me. When I opened the door everyone stopped moving.

"Look guys." I started. There was a shock through the room. "I'm sorry for being.. like I have been."

"It's okay, Buffy. We understand." Willow tried to lighten the air.

"No, it's not. I don't want to make things harder. Things are going to be better. I promise." With that statement I walked over to Dawn at the sink and started helping with the dishes. Maybe doing everyday things will help.

"I got this. It's okay." Dawn said. I laid the plate down and looked around the room.

"You can help me with dessert." Tara said. I smiled at her and grabbed the pie sitting on the counter.

"Buffy and pie. What a great pair." Xander joked. We all laughed and walked into the dining room. It felt good to smile.

Just then there was a loud thunk on the floor and I looked up to see Giles standing in the doorway of the front door. I set the pie down and ran straight to him and into his arms.

"Buffy." He whispered, kissing me on my head.

"Giles." I responded. I backed up and fixed the front of my shirt.

"Giles. You're back! The shop is still mine." Anyas voice came from the other room. "Ow, Xander." He must of nudged her for her outbreak.

"Hello to you, too, Anya." He picked up his bags and set them down next to the stairs. "Pie!"

I pulled onto the street that Buffys house stood. I could feel her presence, despite there was still a few more blocks. I had called Willow before I left and she had informed me that Giles had just returned tonight. I had insisted on waiting a few days before coming to give them time and she absolutely was against that. I slowed as I pulled into the driveway, it was late but Willow said she would wait up. I strolled up the steps and as I lifted my hand to knock the door flew open and a small brunette flew into my arms.

"Hey Dawn." I smiled and set her down, she beamed up at me while pulling me into the house. Willow and Tara were sitting on the couch, curled up in a blanket. They stood when they saw me. "Willow, Tara." I hugged both.

"Hey, Angel." I looked around.

"Everybody in bed?" I asked. Willow shook her head.

She motioned to Dawn. "As soon as she overheard me and Tara talking about you coming she refused to go to bed. Giles and Buffy decided to patrol with.. Spike." I frowned at that name. "And, Xander and Anya went home a few hours ago."

"I should go get a hotel room before sunrise." I insisted.

"I wish we had room here for you." Dawn said. I shook my head.

"Even if you did, it's probably not a good idea." I motioned for Willow to follow me outside. I patted Dawn on the shoulder and hugged her goodbye. She frowned and stormed upstairs. When we closed the door behind us, I couldn't keep it in any longer. "Patroling with Spike?" I managed to keep my voice remotely down. Willow paced uncomfortably.

"Well, as you know he's been our muscle these last few months. He's been patroling even when Buffy came back." she tried to explain. I shrugged it off.

"I should really be going.. to a hotel I mean." I said. Willow nodded her head.

"Should I tell Buffy you'll be here later?" I shook my head. I didn't want her to know I was coming at all. Which is completely different than the time I was in Sunnydale for days and left without ever letting her know, till Xander opened his mouth. I sort of wanted to surprise her before she could scorn me for coming. "Well, then call me." she said. I turned and walked back to my car.

I drove a few miles before a small motel came into view. I suppose it is good to stay as close as possible.

"How long is your stay?" the large man behind the counter asked me. I pondered that for a moment.

"Could I pay nightly?" I asked.

"Yes." he answered and handed me keys. "There should be clean linens, and there is NO free breakfast." I forced a smile and walked out of the office and back to my car for my bags. I made it down to my room and opened the door to a foul smelling room. I opened a window and settled down on the rock hard bed. Good thing these things don't effect me that poorly. I locked the door and decided to shower before getting some sleep.

**Thanks for reading! Don't forget to Review!**


	2. Chapter 2 : Birthday Wishes

I dreamt of sunny fields with blooming flowers. The wind whipping my hair across my face. I closed my eyes and twirled around letting my dress flow in the wind. I watched as butterflies landed on my arms.

"Buffy." A deep voice floated towards me, carried through the wind. I turned and faced the forest line. In the shadows stood a tall dark shape. I smelled the air and a familiar scent triggered memories in my brain and sent my heart beating quicker.

"Angel." I whispered. A smile creeped across my face as I watched the figure slowly walk towards me. He came close to the sunlight divider and stopped. The sun lightened his features and confirmed that it was Angel. Then to my surprise he took a step forward. I panicked and started running towards him. "No! Stop, Angel!" I screamed. But, I was too far and he didn't listen to me. With a smile on his face he was fully engulfed in flames with in seconds. Before I could reach him his dust floated away in the wind.

"Angel." I sobbed.

When I woke I was alone in my bed, tears freely streaming down my cheeks and my pillow had a large damp spot. I tried to slow my breathing and sat up in my bed. Brushing my hair away and wiping the tears I cleared my throat and stretched. A knock came at my door.

"Buffy." Dawn stuck her head in the door. I ushered her to come in. "Are you okay?"

"Yea, why?" she stepped in a sat at the end of the bed.

"I could hear you this morning." she looked around the room. " You were crying out Angels name."

"Bad dream. First one I've had of him in a long time." I replied. I stood and wrapped my robe around me. "It's alright, Dawny. Let's get some breakfast." she hopped off the bed and followed me downstairs.

Willow and Tara were already up and Tara was making pancakes.

"Rounds or funny shapes?" Tara asked Dawn.

"Funny shapes." Dawn replied. We both plopped down on the bar stools and watched the witches busy themselves. "Today is a special day.." Dawn started.

It came to me. "It's a special birthday." I smiled. My birthday. I got up and grabbed some glasses and poured orange juice. I handed a glass to Dawn. "No party guys." I stated. A loud sigh came from the doorway.

"Too bad, Buff." Xander came in and grabbed the other glass from me and gulped it down. "At least a cake!" He said.

I smiled and excused my self to take a shower and change clothes to ready for the day. As I rounded the corner to take the stairs the phone rang and I answered it.

"Hello?" I asked. The line disconnected. I shrugged and placed it back on the receiver.

I waited a few more minutes before trying to call again. I didn't expect Buffy to be awake this early and definitely didn't expect the impact her voice did to me. I shook it off and dialed the number.

"Summers residence." a cheerful voice came through the phone.

"Hey, Dawn. Willow there?" I asked. There was some mumbling and I heard Willow grab the phone.

"Hey. What happened to vampires sleeping during the day?" she asked. I chuckled.

"Just making sure she made it home okay."

"Yes, she did. Um.. Angel."

"Yes?" I asked. I rubbed my eyes and walked over to the window to pull the curtains closer together.

"You know what today is?" she asked. I sighed.

"Of course, Willow. I'll see you later." I said. I hung up and sat on the bed. I reached over and pulled out a small box from my jacket. I opened it and smiled. I replaced it and laid back on the bed wishing for sleep to arrive.

"Just a little party, Buffy?" Dawn asked. I decided to take a walk and she followed. We ended up at the Magic Shop before I knew it. We walked in and joined the gang.

"Have you guys heard from Giles, yet?" I asked. He had stayed the night at the house, but this morning his bags were gone.

"He was up early this morning, said he was going to check on his house and he'll be by here later." Willow responded. She stood from the table and glanced over at the clock above the register. "He should have been here already."

"Probably got sidetracked." Tara brushed her hand on Willows arm in affection. They exchanged smiles and went back to the table. Dawn bounced over to the table and glanced over Willows shoulder.

"What are you researching?" she asked.

"Oh nothing." Willow closed the book quickly. "Just magic stuff."

I felt restless. "I'm going to head out. It's going to be dark soon. Patrol." I started towards the door.

"Want some company?" Xander asked.

"No. I got it." I forced a smile out and walked out into the street. Sunset was still an hour or so off, but I headed to the main Sunnydale cemetery that was closer.

I sat on the bed, watching the light on the other side of the curtains disappear. When I felt it was safe I opened the door to my hotel room and stepped out in the cool night air. I patted my pocket to ensure that the box was still there. Satisfied I started towards my car.

When I was on the road I scanned the streets for any sign of the Scooby Gang, or Buffy. Sensing neither I turned to head into the main part of town, deciding to stop by the Magic Shop. Buffy would be heading out to patrol right now, so I shouldn't be worried about bumping into her. When the shop came into view I pulled off to park at the curb and walked the next block to the store. I peered into the window and saw Willow and Tara sitting at the round table. I searched the room for any sign of Buffy and realized she was no where around.

I stepped in, the bell on the door giving away my entrance. "Hey Angel. Wait, Angel?" Xander looked at me in surprise.

"Hi, Xander." I assumed Willow would let everyone know I was here, but I assumed wrong. I nodded towards everyone else. There came a tap on my arm, and I turned to see Dawn smiling up at me. I hugged her and made the rest of the way into the shop. "She's patroling?" I asked.

"Yes, she left not too long ago." Willow responded. "Everything is still a go for tonight, though. You are going to wait to see her till then right?"

"Sounds fine to me." I walked over and sat in the nearest chair.

"Back to what we were talking about, Xander, would you mind going and checking on Giles?" Willow asked.

"No problem. Should I start at his house?" Willow nodded, and Xander grabbed his coat and headed out the door. She turned towards me.

"Giles hasn't checked in all day, which you should remember that isn't normal for him." she said.

"No, not usual." I leaned forward. "Should I go and look as well?" I asked.

"No, we can't take the chance of you bumping into Buffy." I smiled and nodded my head.

"I keep thinking it would be a better idea for her to know I'm here now. What if she doesn't want me at her birthday party? Last one I was at didn't end very well." I reminded her.

"It will be fine. It's her first birthday back, surprises will be good for her." She responded. I sighed and gave in.

**Thanks for reading! Don't forget to review!**


	3. Chapter 3 : Where's Giles?

Passing through my third cemetery, I sighed heavily due to the fact that I haven't seen any action all night. Usually that would mean a horrible thing is coming, I should probably head back to the house and check in. All I could think about all day was the odd dream I had last night about Angel. Years ago every night was filled of dreams of me and him, either together or him being killed. I always took them seriously as well, since something usually happened to him. Before I died I could always sense him, despite the distance, but since I returned I couldn't feel him at all. I haven't even had the feeling to contact him. I'm sure someone, being Willow, had let him know of me coming back. Or had they even told him I had died?

I decided to back track and head to Giles house. Hopefully he would be there.

As I walked through the small courtyard I noticed that his door was slighty ajar. I cautiously stepped in. The lamp on his desk was on, but laid across the floor as was books and papers. His bags were still packed, stacked near the bar that looked into his kitchen. I walked around, looking for any sign of Giles, calling his name. But, there was no response. I picked up his house phone and dialed my house number hoping someone was there.

"Summers residence." A cheerful voice answered. Definitely was Dawn.

"Dawn, is Giles there?" I asked, hopeful.

"No. Xander just got here saying he wasn't able to find him. Where are you?" her voice changed to concern.

"I'm at Giles place. I'll be there as soon as I can." I hung up the phone before she could respond, and headed out the house, closing the door firmly behind me.

"She's on her way here, Willow." Dawn yelled up the stairs.

Willow hurried down them to meet her.

"Giles with her?" she asked her. Dawn shook her head. "Well, this isn't going to be much of a party with him missing. We might have to postpone, Dawnie." Dawn looked upset but understood. "When she gets here we'll figure out what to do next." Willow walked into the living room where Anya, Xander and Angel sat.

"This isn't good." Tara said, coming out from the kitchen. "What could have happened to him?"

"Hopefully nothing too bad." Dawn said. Everyone looked in her direction. "Well, you know when someone goes missing it's bad. So, hopefully not too bad." She continued.

Angel stood and started pacing the back half of the living room.

As I neared my house I could see all the lights on, and quite a few people walking around the living room. At least everyone should be here. We can put a plan together and get Giles back here asap. I've saved him plenty of times before, lets just hope with possibly losing 24 hours of searching that he is still okay. As I neared the front steps, Spike walked out from behind the large oak in the front yard.

"Hey, Buffy." he said, blowing out smoke as he spoke. "Whole gangs in there, lots of talk about Mr. British. Need any help?" I shook my head. Spike has been plenty of help lately, but I was getting enough of his constant attention.

"I'll let you know." I responded. He took a few steps back.

"You know where to find me." With that he was gone. At least it was getting easier for him to take a hint and leave when I didn't want him around. Less of him visibly pouting was doing me good.

As I walked through the front door, there came a flood of voices. Each person trying to suggest what could have happened to Giles. I raised my hands up to quiet them down.

"Everyone chill out. One at a time." I looked at the worried faces of my friends, and made my way to the living room to sit on the couch. I slipped off my shoes and started rubbing my sore feet. I did way too much walking tonight. They all came in and sat around me in silence, waiting for me to continue.

"Guys, anything is possibly right now. I've been to his place. There is a sign of possible struggle, but that's it." I said.

"Yea, that's all we saw, too." Xander piped in. Anya nodded, clutching to his arm.

"Well. All I can think of to do at this time is check Willys." I added. I slipped my shoes back on waiting for any comments. "I bumped into Spike. I didn't think at the moment to ask him if he knew anything. I'll go by his place and see. Maybe drag him along to Willys."

"Why would you want to take perocide boy with you? He'll think it's a date." Xander said.

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "For back up, Xand. He's only useful at night, and we only have a few hours till morning." I glanced over at Dawn. "Which means you need to get to bed."

"Come on, Buffy. I can help!" she pleaded. I shook my head and pointed to the stairs.

"Goodnight, Dawn." I said. She huffed and puffed but retreated to her room.

"Back up? Couldn't you just have - " Xander nudged Anya hard in the ribs and shushed her.

"What?" I asked, glaring at Xander, who shrugged shyly.

"She's talking about me." My heart skipped a beat as I looked up to see Angel standing in the doorway. Before I could even get my breath back he continued. "Don't be mad. Just let me help." I closed my eyes and rubbed them, and opened them again to make sure I wasn't seeing things.

Silence proceeded for a few more minutes. "Then we better get to it." I stood. "Stay here, do some research on possible whos that would want Giles." I said to Willow and Tara. They nodded in agreement and they all stood and walked to the dining room where Willows computer was.

I grabbed my jacket and walked out the door with Angel trailing behind.

We walked in silence for what seemed ages. He had stopped a block after my house and strolled over to a black convertible. Popped open the trunk and grabbed a few weapons.

"Nice car." I said.

"We can take it. I noticed your feet are hurting you." he replied. I shook my head and started walking. He caught up to me, but kept the silence.

When Willys place was nearing I stopped and faced him.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"To see you. Honestly, I had to see it for myself that you were back." he replied. He ran his hands through his hair. "I can leave at any time, if you want. Willow was very persistent that I come here instead of call." I sighed.

"It's good to see you." he smiled and started walking again. I kept a few feet distance behind him, admiring his swift walk and the way his jacket billowed behind him. It felt like I had gone years back in time. When every night was filled with me and Angel patrolling, felt like we had never skipped a beat.

He opened the door to Willys bar, and immediately a few customers fled out the back. Willy looked up from the bar, setting down the glass he was cleaning.

"Slayer! How nice to see you." he exclaimed.

"Enough of the small talk, Willy." Angel started. He looked at me, waiting to see if I wanted to interrogate him.

"Where's Giles?" I simply asked. Willy started to look nervous. He glanced around then leaned in.

"What's in it for me?" a sly grin displayed across his face. Angel punched him in the face quicker than I could blink. Willy staggered back, grabbing a rag off the counter to stop the blood flowing from his nose. "Alright, alright. You know, Angel. We haven't missed you around here."

"Doesn't hurt my feelings none. Now answer the question." Angel snarled at Willy.

"All I know is that some guys came into town a few days ago. Talking about some amulet or stone type thing. What ever it is, it opens a portal to a dimension that isn't a good one. They came in here asking around for your Giles guy, said he was the best bet in knowing what they needed to know." he struggled out.

"And.."

"There were three of them. Tall, dirty, weird looking armor on the shoulders and arms. Smelled pretty bad, too. Ran some customers out, actually. Really bright orange eyes. Creepy looking." he finished. "That's all I got."

Satisfied, I grabbed Angels arm to motion for him to leave with me. He obliged.

When we stepped out into the street, I breathed in the cool clean air.

"I hate going in there." I said.

We started back towards the house to let Willow know about our discovery. When we made it to my street he stopped at his car again.

"The suns going to be up soon." I looked to the horizon, and he was right. The sky started turning pink. "I should really get back to the hotel."

"Are you going to make it?" I asked.

He smiled. "Hopefully. If not, you can have the car." We chuckled.

"Well, I'm horrible at driving, so why don't you stay at the house?" I asked. Almost regretting the decision. But, I shook it off and kept telling myself that I was just being nice to a guest. He looked down at his hands and back up.

"Are you sure?" I nodded my head. I walked over to the passenger side and jumped in. He got in and drove the rest of the way back to the house. By the time we ran in, the sun hit the door and he sighed thankfully. "You would think I could gauge my time better."

"Come, you need to clean up." I motioned for him to follow me upstairs. He hesitated then followed. I walked in my room and shuffled through a drawer at the bottom of my closet. I pulled out a gray muscle shirt and black sweats and handed it to him.

"Aren't these mine?" he asked. I blushed.

"Yea. Well, when you left I went back to the mansion and saw you left them." He smiled. "Creepy huh?"

"Not at all." he walked out of the room and closed the bathroom door behind him.

**Thanks for reading! Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4 : Spike

I laid on the couch squeezing my eyes shut. I could hear people walking around and talking in hush tones. I didn't want to wake but knew I needed to. I slowly opened my eyes and focused on the wall clock next to the fireplace. It read about half an hour after nine. When me and Angel had made it back right at sunrise this morning, I had cleaned up after Angel and urged him to stay in my room, due to the lack of lighting and not being woken up. He tried to fight me about it, but was too tired to keep it up. I sat up and wrapped the blanket around me, glancing over at Tara in the dining room who was eating breakfast.

"Buffy! You hungry?" she asked. I shook my head and stood up, keeping the blanket tight around me. I walked over to Tara and sat across from her.

"Willow find anything last night?" I asked. Tara shook her head and pushed her plate away from her. They had been awake when we had come home, but barely. I had told Willow what we had found out, but we all went to sleep not much longer than that.

"Not much, I'm afraid." Willow answered. She strolled in the room and sat next to me.

"We need something to go off of, Will." I stated. I knew they knew that, but I didn't know what else to say. They nodded and we sat in silence for a few more minutes. "Is Dawn up?" I asked.

"Xander came and picked her up about an hour ago. Something about spending time with her, possibly movies or coffee." Tara replied.

"Good. She needs some separation from all this stuff." I said.

"I saw that Angels car is in the driveway." Willow coyly said. I smiled and nodded.

"He ran out of time to get back to his hotel, so he really had no choice but to stay here." I explained. "I slept on the couch."

"I think everyone knows that on the block. Miss Snores Alot." I blushed and playfully pushed Willows arm.

"I don't snore!" We all laughed. "I'm going to get dressed and we need to crack down. We can't forget that Giles is out there somewhere depending on us." I plead. I stood and made my way to the stairs. I turned to see Willow opening her laptop and start typing furiously.

I cracked opened my door and peeked in. Angel was curled up in the blanket with his back towards me. I tiptoed in and opened my closet. I grabbed an outfit and tiptoed back out, slowly closing the door behind me. I wanted to just stand there and watch him sleep, and huge part of me wanted to curl up with him and go back to sleep and forget all my problems.

After I dressed I headed back down the stairs and smelled something burning. I looked around and ran to the kitchen to see Spike standing against the counter with Willow and Tara scowling at him.

"What's going on?" I urged.

"Spike here scared us half to death!" Willow proclaimed. Never taking her eyes off Spike but clutching Tara's hand.

"Half way? I'm already there, sweetie, and it's not too bad." Spike replied with a grin on his face.

"What do you want, Spike?" I asked, irritated.

"I have a present for you, slayer." He plucked out a pack of cigarettes and went to light one. "Not in the house!"

He sighed and put it back in his jacket pocket. "I found something you are looking for. It's tied up at my crypt."

"Then why are we here?" I asked. I grabbed his blanket and threw it back at him.

"I got to wait here. It's hot out there!" he proclaimed, fear in his eyes. I turned and ran up the stairs to my bed room. Angels jacket was laid across my desk chair. Quietly and carefully I slipped my hand in his pocket and felt his keys. I wrapped my hand around them so they wouldn't make any noise and left the room. He didn't stir once. I ran back down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"Come on." I grabbed his arm as he threw his blanket over him and we ran to Angels car. Angel had put up the top before coming in last night, so Spike dove into the back seat away from the sunlight. I slipped into the drivers seat and prayed to all the Gods I wouldn't crash the car.

We neared the cemetery that housed Spikes crypt. I pulled off under the shade of a group of trees and got out. Spike jumped out and fled to the sanctuary of his home. I jogged over and went in. I glanced around but didn't see Spike. Then all of a sudden is head shot up from the floor over towards the back of the crypt.

"It's down here." he said. I cautiously walked over and peered down the hole. He held out his hand, but I shook it away. I descended down the stairs and let my eyes get adjusted. There was a few candles lit, and I could make out a dark figure slumped over in the corner. I walked over to it, whatever it was it was tied up to a chair, seeming unconscious. "I overheard your talk with Willy last night. I had stopped for a beer. And, on the way back here I actually bumped into this one. It was digging through a crypt down the way." he explained.

"Interesting." I replied. I grabbed the hair on its head and pulled up the face. Its eyes blinked open and a searing orange glow emitted from them. I stepped back as it growled at me. "You beat it up?"

"Well yea. Wasn't that hard." he replied.

"Does it speak?" I kept my eyes on it and it did on me.

"I do." it replied. I was slightly shocked. I stepped over and punched it hard in the face, blood spitting from its mouth. "Slayer." he stated with a grin.

"You've heard of me." I stood with my hands on my waist.

"Who hasn't?" It more stated then questioned. "You want your watcher."

"Yes. And you will tell me where to find him." I said.

"In a warehouse on 5th. We have no need for him any longer." it replied. I was disappointed, hoping I could punch it a few more times before it answered.

"Why?" I asked.

"Why does it matter, Buffy? Go get him!" Spike proclaimed. He moved forward and grabbed my arm. I pulled it out of his grip. And turned back to it.

"Why?" I repeated.

"That's all I have to say. You know where he is." it turned its head.

"Keep him here." I told Spike. I rushed out of there and into the bright sunlight. I ran over to Angels car and made my way to the warehouse district on the other side of town. I honestly hoped Angel wouldn't get upset with me taking the car, especially when I told him last night I can't drive. Obviously I wasn't doing too badly.

I rolled to a stop on 5th street. There were a few warehouses lining both sides of the road. I stood on the sidewalk and closed my eyes, trying to sense where Giles would be. I opened my eyes staring at the door across the street, which was slightly opened. I jogged across the street, watching for cars. I stepped inside waiting for my eyes to adjust for the second time today. I could smell the strong copper ting of blood strongly in the air. I scanned the area and saw a door far off to the left. I made my way over to it, but as I reached for the handle I could hear voices on the other side.

"Yarj hasn't returned master." one voice said. There was a shuffle of feet.

"We will just have to proceed without him." the second voice rang through, almost snake like.

"As you wish." came the first voice again. A loud groan erupted through the room, and I recognized the agony feeling of Giles. I kicked the door open and at once was pounced upon.

I struggled to get the creature off of me, it was small and monkey like. Its long fingers were wrapped around my neck. I head butted it and it fell back off of me for a few seconds. I looked around the room quickly to access the situation. Giles was hanging from a rope tied to the ceiling, and there were two other figures close by that didn't move when the door came down. The monkey creature jumped back at me, but I was ready for it, I grabbed each side of the head and snapped quickly, letting the limp body fall to the ground. I ran over to the first figure and kicked it squarely in the chest; it fell back as the other made an escape for the door.

"Buffy." a weak whisper caught my attention. It came from Giles, when I turned towards him the creature made a run for it after its comrade. I ran to Giles and cut down the rope. He laid against me breathing heavily. "I wouldn't tell them." he started. I shushed him.

"Can you stand?" he nodded and we stood, I braced him as we walked out of the warehouse and to Angels car. I leaned him in the passenger seat and I jumped in on the other side. When I made sure he was buckled in, I floored it heading straight for the hospital.

When the doctors reassured me that Giles was going to be okay and needed to stay overnight, I rushed to the payphone and dialed my house number. As it rang I checked the time on the wall, it's been seven hours since I awoke this morning. Oh, how the time flies.

"Hello?" Taras voice broke through my thoughts.

"Tara, it's Buffy." I replied.

"Buffy, everything okay?" worry in her voice.

"I will be there soon. Everybody back at the house?" I asked, not wanting to explain, I didn't have too much change in my pocket.

"Yes. See you soon." she replied. I hung up the phone and retreated to Giles room. As I walked in, he looked up at me.

"You didn't have to bring me here." he said. I know he doesn't like hospitals, but, it was the best place for him. Especially if those things came looking for him again.

"Shut up, Giles. You need to be here." I patted his hand, but he grunted at me in protest. "I will be back in the morning, okay? Get some sleep."

"Be careful, Buffy. They have power I have never experienced. Magic, not physical force." he explained. I nodded and leaned over to kiss him on the forehead.

"See you in the morning." I repeated. I got up and walked out of the hospital.

The skies were starting to dim with the setting sun. There was still an hour or two before the vampires could come out and play. I pulled up to the driveway, and immediately saw a tall dark figure standing by the living room window, obviously staring out at me. I should probably prepare myself for the outrage of Angel that I'm about to walk into. I slowly stepped out of the car and walked up to the door even slower. The door was opened and Angel standing a few feet away, hiding from the last rays of the sun. His arm was crossed and brow furrowed a common look for him.

"I'm sorry, I was desperate." I tried to reason with him.

"What happened to you not knowing how to drive?" he asked. Never changing his stance. I stepped close to him, probably too close. He stiffened up even more, which I didn't know was possible.

"I'm sorry.. again. Won't happen.. again." I said, smiling sweetly at him. He relaxed a little, but didn't move.

He sighed. "You will have to help rinse out the Spike smell." he smiled and lowered his arms, his hands brushing mine. I stepped back and looked around.

"Where is everybody?" I asked. He motioned towards the kitchen, and followed me there.

Everybody was standing around, muttering to themselves. As soon as they saw me, it got so quiet you could hear a pin drop on the floor.

"I found Giles." I started. Relief washing through the room. "He's at the hospital, he's fine." I continued. I turned to Angel. "Spike caught one of the demons and it freely told me where to find him, and he was right. It seemed odd because it told me that it didn't need Giles anymore. But when I got to the warehouse, there was two others and they were about to start whatever they were going to start with him. Of course till I interrupted." I finished telling them about the rest of the rescue. And how they were still on the loose.

"We should go find them." Angel stated. I nodded my head in agreement.

"Willow, all those other things Giles said about the demons, thinks that will help with research. I think we should know a little more before jumping the gun." I reasoned. Willow stood and headed towards her computer. Tara followed along with Xander and Anya. I turned back towards Angel. "We can still patrol." he nodded and headed back towards the stairs.

"I'll go get my jacket." I waited a few seconds then followed him up to the second floor, and into my bed room. "It's okay, Buffy. You found Giles. He's going to be okay." he tried to assure me.

"I know. But, I could have lost him." I walked over and sat on the edge of my bed. Running my hand through my hair. I looked up at Angel as he was pulling on his jacket.

"But you didn't." he responded. He reached out for my hand, I took his and stood. He wrapped his strong arms around me, and for a second I got lost in his warmth and scent. He let me cling onto him for a few more minutes before we stepped back from each other. "Let's go. Maybe Spike still has that thing." I nodded and followed him downstairs and out into the night.

I followed Buffy into Spikes crypt. The walk to our destination was a quiet one. Holding on to her earlier in her bedroom made me not want to ever let her go. It never fails, every time I see her or hear her voice, I regret the biggest decision I had ever made, which was leaving her two years ago.

The last place I wanted to go was to see Spike, but knew it was the best place to start. She walked right in, which made me uncomfortable. Seemed as though she had a welcome invitation. Spike was sitting in an old recliner watching a black and white TV. He stood as soon as he saw Buffy, but seemed disappointed when I strolled in.

"Great. Captain Forehead is back." He retorted.

"Shut up, Spike." Buffy lashed back. "We are not here for you two to fight like little girls."

"Alright, alright." he replied. I walked over and leaned against the wall.

"Do you still have the demon guy?" she asked. I watched them stand close together, a lot more comfortable around each other than the last time I saw. He nodded, and Buffy followed him towards the back of the crypt, so I followed as well. They dropped down through a hole, I hesitated then jumped down.

I stood back and observed. The demon glared up at Buffy.

"What do you want now?" it asked.

"Why did you say that you no longer needed Giles?" she asked. Her stance was solid, waiting to strike.

"I personally no longer needed him. I assume you ran into the others?" it smiled. Buffy nodded. "Did you kill them?" it asked, eagerness showing through.

"No. I didn't." she answered.

"Too bad. I walked away from their project. Now, will you either let me go or kill me?" it pleaded.

Buffy turned to Spike. "Think it told me all it wants?" she asked him. Spike shrugged.

"I've told you all I need to." it responded. She turned to face me.

"Spike, do as you want." she walked past me and up through the hole. I strolled after her making sure I shot a glare at Spike.

We walked out of the crypt and into the night. I looked around and saw Buffy leaning against a tree. I walked over and placed my hand on her shoulder, it startled her so she must have been in thought.

"Didn't mean to scare you." I said.

"You didn't." she turned to face me. "Where do we go from here?" she asked. Her eyes revealing how tired she was.

"You need to rest." I replied. She shrugged off my observation and started towards the exit of the cemetery.

"I don't want to go back to the house." she said.

I thought for a second. I knew what I would like to offer, but I wasn't entirely sure that it was a good idea. It was one thing for me to stay at the house with her, there were other people living there. Although, for her to stay with me at the hotel, it left us completely alone. However bad the idea could be, I had to offer.

"Why don't you come back with me to the hotel? Just for the night." I asked. She looked up at me and sighed.

"Okay." she replied.

We had decided to walk straight to the hotel instead of picking up my car first. When we approached the office I motioned for to stay outside, I needed to pay for last night and tonight. I opened the door and the bell rang.

"You didn't pay last night." The overweight, balding man behind the desk retorted.

"I wasn't here." I replied, pulling out my wallet.

"Your luggage was." I set the cash down to cover me for a couple of days, and turned to walk out.

Buffy was leaning against the stone wall by the office door, I motioned her to follow me to the room. When we got there, I unlocked the door and stepped aside for her to enter.

"Great place." she sarcastically said, while holding her nose.

"Great place at the last minute. Plus, it's closer to your place." I said. I flipped on the bedside lamp and tossed her a towel. "You can clean up if you want."

"Do you have a pair of my pjs, too?" she chuckled. I smiled and sat on the bed.

"Unfortunately, I left them at the hotel." I got up and pulled some sweats and a t-shirt out of my bag and tossed them to her, she caught them and closed the bathroom door behind her. I took off my coat and slung it over the desk chair and unbuttoned my shirt. I pulled a tank top out of the bag and slipped it on. As I started cleaning up my area, Buffy walked out of the bathroom.

"I look great, huh." she said. I never thought she looked better. My clothes swallowed her, but she still made them look sexy. Her hair was damp and her skin glistened in the light. I swallowed hard and patted the spot on the bed next to me.

"Sit." I said. She obliged. "You can have the bed, I'll take the chair."

"No way. How could that be comfy? This bed is huge, we'll have enough space between us." I shook my head.

"I- I don't know."

"It's fine. Come on." she crawled up to the pillows and wiggled her way under the covers. I rubbed my eyes and decided I couldn't argue with her, we would never get any sleep. I laid back since I was already on my side of the bed and reached over to turn off the light. "Are you going to get under the covers?" she asked. A red flag popped up in my mind.

"No, I'm alright." I replied. It was enough that I was lying in the same bed as her; there was no way I would get under the covers.

"Suit yourself." She turned towards the wall.

It felt like a few hours had went by and I hadn't been able to even close my eyes. I was staring at the ceiling making pictures out of the horrible paint job when Buffy started making noises in her sleep. They kept getting louder and louder like she was struggling against someone, then she screamed my name.

"Angel!" I turned over and tried to wake her.

"Buffy. Buffy, it's alright. Wake up." she awoke with a jolt and sat up in the bed, pulling the covers up and around her. "Are you alright."

She was breathing hard while she brushed the hair out of her face. "Fine." she replied. "Bad dream."

"Do you normally have bad dreams about me?"

She looked at me with tears in her eyes. "Second one as of late." I sat up with her and scooted over to take her in my arms, she rested her head on my chest.

"It's alright. I'm here." I couldn't think of what else I could say. I didn't want to ask her what happened in her dreams; I didn't want her to have to replay it out if it was that upsetting to her.

A few moments went by and her breathing calmed down.

"Why did you go to the mansion after I left?" the question had been floating through my mind since she had told me that previous night.

"I- um. I was hoping you were still here." I sighed and she sat up out of my arms and looked down at her hands. "I wanted to make a last ill attempt of talking you out of it." she continued.

"You couldn't have. It would've made things even harder." I muttered.

"I know."

"It was the right thing to do for you." I explained.

"Why does everyone have to make stupid decisions for me? Like I'm a child." she replied, angrily.

"I did it because I knew you couldn't. And you aren't a child." I replied. I felt like she was never going to understand my decision, and I greatly wanted her to. "I wanted you to be able to have somewhat of a normal life aside from slaying."

"All it's done was give more people the opportunity to hurt me or leave me."

"I know. I've realized that. But, you have to know that is not what I wanted for you." I tried reasoning with her.

"What did you want for me? Or was it really all about you?" she asked. I was shocked by her question. "I mean, YOU have a better life now, right? You have your own thing going on. You have your own friends, your own life. Is that what you wanted?"

"Those were not my intentions." I swung my legs around and sat on the bed with my back facing her. "I did not want to hurt you." And I really did not want to recap this whole thing. I was starting to think that it was a bad idea for me coming here.

"Maybe I wouldn't have died if you were still here." With that comment I stood up and turned to face her.

"Why would you say that? Now you are going to blame me for your death on top of ruining your life?" I yelled. I paced back and forth at the foot of the bed.

"That's not what I was trying to say, Angel. Just that ever since you left it seems like my life got harder. That what you were trying to do backfired." she spat at me.

"My intention was to give you an opportunity to have a good life without me holding you back." I stopped and looked at her. "What you chose to do with that is all on you."

"I don't want to fight, Angel." I softened and sat on the edge of the bed. She crawled to the end of the bed behind me and set her forehead against my shoulder.

"I don't want to either. But I also don't want to regret coming here."

"I don't either. I just felt the need to talk about this." she leaned back and I turned to my side. I pulled her hand into mine.

"We talk about this and it just brings up hurtful times. I know you want to understand, and I want you to understand. But, we need to do this in a better manner than pointing fingers." she nodded her head. "I love you, Buffy. That will never change." she nodded her head again.

"I just want to know why you felt that leaving me was going to make my life better." she asked.

"I didn't know it would do that. I just hoped." I held onto her hand, for the closeness, and as long as she let me I would take advantage of it. "Never doubt for a minute that I didn't want to be with you, or here for you. A lot of things have happened, your mother, everything that happened with Dawn. I wish I could have been here."

"You could have been." she replied.

"No. I never knew about anything till after it was done."

"If you were already here, is what I meant." she said. She pulled her hand out of mine. "We won't be able to come to a mutual feeling about this, it's not worth trying."

"As you wish." I stood and went to the bathroom, closing the door behind me. I stood at the sink, leaning against the counter. I looked up to the mirror, of course not seeing my reflection. I sat on the edge of the tub and rubbed my eyes. I know I brought this all up and upon myself, but she is right. We will not agree on this subject. I could have made a huge mistake and made Buffy's life worse, or I made the right choice and it just hasn't shown yet. There was a small tap at the door. I stood and opened it, Buffy was standing there, tears streaming down her face.

"I'm sorry." she whispered. I took her in my arms.

"Let's just avoid this conversation. You are right, we will never agree on it." I assured her. I released her and we both walked back to the bed. "Get some more sleep." she shook her head.

"I can't." she said. "Will you just lay here with me?"

We laid back on the bed and I pulled her into my arms, her head resting on my chest. I brushed back her hair out of her face, and kissed her head.

**Thanks for reading! Please review!**


	5. Chapter 5 : Search for the Soul

I felt as if I only closed my eyes for a few seconds when I heard a loud ringing echoing through the room. Angel stirred as well as I got up and realized it was my new cell phone that Willow had given me just yesterday. I reached into my pants pocket and flipped it open.

"Hello?" My eyes hadn't focused enough yet to see what name was on the screen.

"Buffy! Where are you?" Willows voice sang through the receiver.

"Angel's hotel. Everything okay?"

"We've been waiting and calling you all day! I and Tara went to the hospital to see Giles, and the nurse said he was discharged. But, he's not at his house." I ran over to the window and peered out, the sun was just falling below the horizon.

"Be there soon." I closed the phone and ran over to Angel, shaking him awake. "Wake up, we got to go!" I grabbed my clothes and ran to the bathroom as Angel got up.

We ran up the stairs to my front door, which was wide open. I ran in and almost collided with Xander.

"Buff. Slow down." He backed up a few steps.

"Giles." I said. I turned to see everyone sitting at the dining room table.

"We've been waiting." Xander glared over at Angel. "He's still good, right?" I punched Xander in the arm as I passed him, I could hear him wince.

"I didn't know what warehouse you found him at before. And we didn't know where else to look." Just then Spike walked through the still open door and stopped before me, out of breath.

"I know where your watcher is. Let's go." Both me and Angel ran after him as he fled out the door.

"Slow down, Spike!" I called after him. He slowed but kept up a quick pace. "Where is he?"

"The basement of the high school." he replied.

"The demons from before?" Angel asked. Spike nodded, but didn't say any more as we neared the high school. I ran through the front doors with the vampires trailing behind me. I located the basement access door, and kicked it down.

"He's this way." We followed Spike around a few turns and corners. The basement felt like a maze, I was already lost and hoped that Spike could lead us the way out. We stopped at a heavy steel door. It took all of us to open it, and what I saw within made me lose my breath.

"Giles!" Just then I heard a loud thunk and turned to see Angel hit the floor and Spike dropping a large rock.

"Come to find out, Slayer. They need both of them." Spike spat out.

I looked around, and noticed I was surrounded by a little over a dozen of the same demons that had captured Giles just days before. Giles was suspended from the ceiling once again. Then all of a sudden I felt light headed and the room went back.

I opened my eyes and felt tremendous pressure on my wrist. I tried to pull free, but could feel warmth running down through my fingers and could smell the scent of copper. My head felt like it had cracked open and my brains were set on display. I looked around and saw Spike leaning against the far wall with a grin on his face. But, there was no one else around; I noticed I wasn't in the same room we had found Giles in.

"Wakey wakey, slayer." he drawled out. He took a few steps towards me.

"Screw you." I muttered. He chuckled. "What are you doing?"

"Keeping you busy." he replied. Pacing in front of me.

"Why?" I asked.

"So they can do whatever they are doing." he replied. "I killed that demon, only after him telling me what they were doing. He spoke a lot about a vampire with a soul. And, since your Angel boy is the only one around, I figured I'd help the cause." he spilled out.

"What are they doing?"

"Don't care. Need his soul and the watchers brain."

"I'm going to kill you, Spike." I growled.

"Empty threat. As I see you are the one tied up, not me." He replied, smiling. I wiggled my wrist a little more, and realizing that he had tied me to a wooden chair. With all my strength I could muster, I bent forward and tried to stand, all in a blink of an eye I snapped the chair and was standing before Spike. He went to grab me but I head butted him. He fell to the ground clutching his head.

"Empty threat, huh." I kicked him in his side and turned towards the door.

When I got into the hall I looked around, I was still in the basement. I stood quietly hoping to hear something to give away Giles and Angels location. With luck I could hear low muttering towards my right. I took off running and noticed a door cracked open with light filtering through. I stood by the door listening.

"Je sutz namee." A low voice spoke.

I peered in and saw Angel and Giles hanging from the ceiling, Giles eyes were open but glazed. His wounds had reopened and were bleeding down his sides and face.

"Buffy." A whisper came from behind. I turned to see Willow, Tara and Xander standing a few feet away. I walked over to them.

"What are you doing here?" I whispered back.

"I figured out who these people are and what they are doing. We did a locator spell to find you." Willow replied, quietly.

"Yea, they need Angels soul and Giles brain. That's enough for me."

"I have to stop them mid ritual. I found a spell that will send them to their dimension they are calling instead of releasing it on earth. But, we have a problem." she continued. "I don't know what it will do to Angel." I looked at her quizzically and urged her to continue. "Well- they have to sacrifice his soul first, and that has to happen to stop them. The spell can go only one of two ways. It will keep his soul released, which means he will become Angelus. Or he will die."

My breath was caught for a second time tonight. What would he prefer? I know he would never want to become Angelus again. But, I couldn't see him die again. I looked deep into Willow for help.

"We have no control over what happens, but we must do this soon." she urged. I nodded, fighting back the tears. "Xander and you must distract them long enough when I give the go. It will take a lot for me and Tara to pull this off."

I grabbed Willows hand. "You can do this." I assured here. I looked towards Xander and nodded. "Let's go."

Willow stood at the door, watching for what seemed like ages. She turned and looked at me with saddened eyes.

"It's almost time." she said. I nodded and me and Xander waited close to the door. "Okay! Go!" Willow pushed us through the door. When I stepped through I saw dozens of the demons caught off guard and rush to the back of the room and me and Xander started hitting and kicking. I looked behind me to make sure no one was getting to Tara and Willow. Assured I continued kicking and punching, laying most of the demons out, killing a few. I could hear Willow starting to chant and I felt a surge throughout the room. Then Angel screamed.

I paced through the kitchen, living room and dining room. Continually making circles. I had pulled off my hundredth lap around when Dawn stuck an arm out to stop me.

"You have to sit down, Buffy." she urged. I shook my head.

"I can't. I have to check on him." I walked over to the basement door and went down the stairs.

Angel was still chained up to the metal support in the middle of the room. He hadn't moved since we had brought him back to the house. I stopped at the bottom step and sat down.

I could hear footsteps behind me.

"Any change?" Willow asked. I shook my head and she sat next to me.

"He's obviously not dead, or dead as a vampire can be. That means he's Angelus, right?" I asked. Afraid of her response, even though I already knew.

"Well- we won't know till he wakes up." she replied. I nodded my head and rubbed my eyes. "You should get some sleep."

I shook my head. "No. I slept all day."

"How was it, by the way. Sleeping with Angel and all." I looked over at her.

"We just slept. And, talked a little." I responded. I really didn't want to go into much detail, but knew that my best friend would want to know everything.

"Talked?"

"Yea, about when he left and stuff. We argued, made up, then went to sleep." I turned from her, hoping she would get the hint I didn't want to talk about it.

"Okay. Well, we can take shifts on watching him." she offered.

"No. I want to be here. How is Giles?" I asked.

"He's fine. Asleep upstairs, but fine." she replied. She patted me on the shoulder and stood.

"I'll be up in a little bit." I said. She took off back up the stairs. I looked back over to Angel, deciding the way he was leaning was probably uncomfortable. So, I stood up slowly and strolled over to him, keeping a few feet between us. When he didn't stir I cleared the distance between us and kneeled down next to him. I pulled him up, so he was sitting up straight. Just then his hand shot out and grabbed my arm. I pulled away quickly, ready to strike if needed. He opened his eyes.

"Buffy." he muttered.

"Angel?" I whispered. Then his head fell back down and his eyes closed again. I walked over back to the stairs and sat down, leaning against the wall.

"What if he's bad again. Can't you just do the spell like last time?" Dawn, Willow and Tara were sitting at the dining room table.

"I could, Dawn. I've already sent Xander to get the supplies. But, we have to wait till he wakes up." Willow replied.

"Why?" she asked.

"If I do it now and he still has his soul, it will take it away from him." Willow explained. Dawn nodded in understanding.

"I just hate this waiting game."

"We all do." Tara replied. She got up and headed to the kitchen to get them something to drink, when she heard noises coming from the basement. She called out to Willow.

"What's wrong?" Willow asked, as she fled to Tara.

"In the basement, I heard something." Willow walked over to the basement door and opened it, peering down. Buffy was still sitting at the bottom, leaning against the wall, but she had not moved.

"Are you sure it came from down there?" she asked, as she started to descend the stairs.

I could hear Willow and Tara talking. They had heard Angel moving the chains, but he had not opened his eyes. He had moved like he was dreaming. Willow stepped beside her.

"Tara heard something." she informed her.

"Yea, he keeps moving." I told her. "Angel?" I said out loud. He moved slightly, then opened his eyes looking straight at us.

"Could you take these chains off of me?" he asked. I stood, but Willow grabbed my arm and shook her head.

"Is it really you, Angel?" he smiled and nodded his head. Willow looked towards me. "I don't know. Be careful."

I walked over to Angel cautiously, all the while he was grinning at me. Then it hit me. That grin was not Angels. I took a few steps back.

"Why lie to us, Angelus?" I asked, pain overflowing my heart.

"Oh darn. Hoped you would fall for it." he replied, shifting his weight around on the floor.

"You didn't try hard enough." I spatted out. I walked back over to Willow. "Can you do the spell?" She nodded and started back up the stairs.

"Just waiting for Xander to come back with the supplies." she replied, disappearing out the door. I turned back to Angelus.

"I'm sorry." I muttered. I sat back down and stared at him.

"Why, lover?" he asked. I grimaced at his words.

"For Angel, having to put up with you once again." I stood back up, deciding it was best not to stay down here to listen to the crap that would come out of his mouth. He whistled at me as I walked back up the stairs and into the kitchen.

"I'm sorry, Buffy." Dawn said. She handed me a glass of water, I took it appreciatively. I took the stool at the bar and leaned against it. "Willow will bring him back." she said assuring. I nodded and took another sip from the glass.

Xander walked into the kitchen through the back door with a bag in his arms. He set it on the counter.

"Hopefully we don't need to use this stuff." he said. But after looking at our faces he withdrew his statement. "Never fails that Angelus has to visit us. He could just send a postcard." he said.

"Xander!" Dawn said, punching him in his arm. He shot me an apologetic glance and walked into the dining room to find Willow.

They returned together a few moments later, and Willow looked towards me as she grabbed the bag.

"Do you want to be down there with me?" she asked. I nodded and grabbed the bag from her.

We headed down the stairs and I stopped dead in my tracks as soon as I saw empty chains laying on the floor. I looked up to the basement window and saw the remaining shards of glass all over the floor. Willow gasped.

"Oh no, Buffy." she said. I looked at her.

"I shouldn't have left him alone." I said. I didn't know how to feel at that moment. I couldn't believe how selfish I was to everyone for being so careless.

"Don't blame yourself." she tried to assure me. I ran back up the stairs and grabbed my jacket.

**Thanks for reading! Please Review!**


	6. Chapter 6 : Angelus

I walked around town till the sun peeked over the horizon. I had found no sign of Angel.. or Angelus for that matter. I kept in touch with Willow via my cell phone, making sure he didn't backtrack to the house. She had assured me that there has been no sign of him as well. And, that Giles had finally awoken. When I noticed shops starting to open I decided to head back to the house, but decided to go by the hotel he was staying at beforehand. It was on the way, and he might have decided to use that as refuge from the sunlight.

When I neared close to the hotel, I scanned the area and my eyes fell at his door, which was slightly ajar. I ran over, and peered inside. There was no sign of him as I searched the place, including the bathroom. His duffel bag was gone, and there was a piece of paper on top of the old, wooden tv. I picked it up, and it read:

_I'll be seeing you._

I shoved the paper into my pocket and turned back to the door. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed something dark laying across the chair at the broken down table. I picked it up. It was Angel's jacket. I tucked it under my arm and left the hotel.

"How are you feeling?" I asked Giles. He was sitting up in bed, and sipping from a hot cup of tea. He nodded and smiled at me.

"A lot better. This is amazing tea." he commented. He set it down and placed his hand over mine. "Any sign of him?" he asked, concern in his eyes.

"No. I went back to the hotel, but everything was gone except his jacket and this piece of paper." I pulled out the note from my pocket and unfolded it for him. He studied it, and gave it back to me.

"Typical Angelus." he said.

"Yep. We need to be careful. Willow has already blocked him from entering the house. So, we should stick close here. Till this is over with." I said.

"Can't Willow still do the spell without him being here?" Giles asked. I nodded my head.

"Yea, but, she prefers him to be here or me to him to make sure it works." I explained. He sighed and nodded his head in agreement.

"I need some more sleep. Keep me posted." he said. I stood up and walked out of my room, closing the door behind me.

I walked down the hall and descended the stairs. Willow and Tara were sitting on the couch, talking amongst themselves. They stopped when they saw me enter the room.

"Don't stop on account of me." I said playfully.

"We were discussing things. She was asking about the last time Angelus paid a visit." she explained.

"Ah, yes. Make sure you tell her it was my fault, too." I said. Willow shot me a glare and shook her head.

"No need for the negative. Enough is going on, Buffy." I shrugged my shoulders.

"I need to go back out before the sun sets. He'll be in hiding right now, plus it's safe for all of us if I'm back here by night fall." I told them. They nodded as I left the house once again. I had found Angels car keys in his jacket, so I decided that would be the quickest way around town. I couldn't figure out why he would leave the jacket, but Angelus's ways were always confusing. I checked the trunk, where his weapons were stowed and they were still there. So, I got in and backed out, ready to hit the town.

I drove to the middle of town and parked the car. When I got out of the car I looked up and down the sidewalk, deciding which way to start. I looked to my right, seeing a crowd of people gathering close to an alley way, talking and shouting amongst each other. I made my way over to see what all the chaos was about. When I got closer, I noticed a person was laying on the concrete in the dark recesses of the alley way. I started running and pushing through people. It was a young, blonde girl. She was laying on her back with her arm across her face. I tried to get people to back up and call for help. She was obviously dead, but I needed space and distraction to grab what was in her hand. It was a piece of paper, and after seeing two puncture marks on her throat, I slipped the note in my pocket and quickly walked away. I strolled quickly back to the car and got in, trying to catch my breath, feeling uneasy and wanting to vomit. I composed myself and started the car, peeling out to head back to the house.

When I arrived, there was still a few more hours of daylight. Xander and Anya had made it to the house with bags and bedding. I had urged them to stay with us, atleast at night. I didn't want to have to put anyone in danger. Everyone was laying about the living room, the television on some crime fighting show. I hung my jacket up and decided to go upstairs and check on Giles. I opened the door and saw him sitting up in bed, books laid about. I walked in and moved some books aside to sit down.

"How are you?" He took off his glasses and cleaned them on his shirt.

"Just dandy. I came across a victim in town." he looked up at me surprised.

"Vampire?" he asked. I nodded. "Angelus?"

"Well- I saw this in her hand." I pulled out the note. I hadn't read it yet, waiting to talk with Giles first. I unfolded it and read it aloud.

"_How long will it take Angel to get over the deaths that are due to come?"_

"Deaths? Plural?" I asked. Tears starting to stream down my face. "I got to find him." I cried out.

Giles grabbed the letter from me and reread it. "You will find him, Buffy. Calm down. He's just playing with your mind." he tried to assure me. I just kept shaking my head. "Why don't you go and take a hot bath. Eat something. And relax for the night." he offered.

"I can do the first two things." I stood and made my way back to the door.

"Please, Buffy. Do try to relax." I nodded my head and walked out of the room. I walked over to the bathroom and someone had already put a change of clothes on the sink for me. I ran a hot bath and laid in it, closing my eyes.

Before I knew it, there was a loud banging on the door. I opened my eyes and jumped out, wrapping a robe around my soaked body. I opened the door seeing a panicked looking Xander.

"What's wrong?" I asked. He lifted his hand which had a folded up piece of paper like it was in an envelope. I took it from his hands and opened it. It was another letter from Angelus.

_One death to alert._

_ Two deaths to scare._

_ Three deaths to hurt._

_ Four deaths to bear._

I folded it back up and looked at Xander.

"I had heard something out front, when I opened the door this was on the doormat." he explained.

"He's just trying to scare us." I told him. He raised his eyebrows.

"Well, you have found one death, and it definitely alerted us." he said. I asked him to wait outside the bathroom while I finished cleaning up and dressed.

I met everyone back downstairs, and to my surprise Giles was sitting at the head of the dining room table.

"Giles! Are you sure you should be down here?" I asked, clearly concerned. He shooed my worries away and placed his hands, folded, on the table.

"We need to get a plan together." he started. "We can't let Angelus roam free any longer." Everyone murmured in agreement.

"What is your big plan?" Anya asked, obviously anxious. She held onto Xanders hand with a death grip.

He pulled his glass off his face and cleaned them on a napkin. After replacing them he continued. "We don't want to kill Angel. We just need to capture him long enough for Willow to do the spell." he paused.

"What about last time?" I asked. "We were fighting when Willow did it, I just need to be there to see that it works." I turned to Willow. "Which I don't see why it wouldn't." I concluded. Willow smiled.

"Yes, but, we can't take the chance for you to get hurt, or walk into some trap." Giles insisted.

"You can't trap Angelus." I explained. "He's wiser than most of us give him credit for. He'll be waiting for us." I ran my hand through my damp hair and sighed in desperation.

"Well, we have to do something. What if he comes after us?" Tara piped in. Tara has yet to witness Angelus, and I don't hold it against her to be terrified, or want to flee the country. Willow laid a hand on top of Tara's reassuringly.

"He very well could." Giles muttered. I looked across the table at my watcher. No matter age or death nothing will ever change how much Giles means to me. Yes, he's definitely been more of a father figure than my father has been, which makes me care for him on an even more deeper level. He looked tired, he shouldn't be out of bed.

"All we need right now is to get some sleep. Everyone is in the house, and he can't get in. We'll put a plan together in the morning." I persuaded. Everyone started nodding, agreeing with my request. "Good. Let's sleep." I stood and motioned for Dawn to follow me upstairs. She seemed scared during the meeting, and I didn't blame her. Even though the memories of that time were imprinted in her, she still remembered things like she was there.

When we walked into her room, we strolled over and both sat on her bed. I took her hand into mine.

"Everything will be okay, Dawn."

"What if they aren't? What if the spell doesn't work? Or he kills more and more people before we can get to him?" It was like her questions and concerns were coming straight out of my mind. We sat in silence for a few moments, contemplating the questions floating in the air.

"I can just do the best I can. I'm positive the spell will work, it has before. Plus, Willow has even more experience than back then." I paused, not wanting to approach the topic of him killing more people. Sadly, I couldn't think about the poor victims. All I could think about was Angel, and how he will never find redemption for what Angelus has done if he keeps coming back into the picture. "Just try to get some sleep tonight. We'll figure everything out in the morning." I kissed her on her forehead and stood.

"I'm sorry, Buffy." I looked down at her, tears falling down her cheeks.

"There's nothing for you to be sorry about. None of this is your fault." I reminded her.

"I know. I'm sorry that all this has to happen right when you come back. When you get to see Angel again after so long." she explained.

"Don't worry about me, Dawnie." I walked towards the door and turned. "Goodnight." she muttered it back to me and I closed the door behind me.

**REVIEW!**


End file.
